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Female fans normally know more facts about what’s going on than men do anyway. I’d say they’re a more intelligent fan on top of that. They normally know more about what we’ve done than we know about what we’ve done. --- Tony Stewart

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There are female fans who take apart engines and will take you apart if you have a problem with that; who are drawn to the danger and mystery of the sport; who watch races on TV to witness pure passion and unscripted emotion; who love the camaraderie of these family-friendly festivals; who feel the nervous anxiety of the lip-biting wives atop the pit boxes. --- Andrew Giangola “The Weekend Starts on Wednesday”

Rolling into California after top-five finishes at Bristol, the Michael Waltrip Racing drivers have a pep in their step, maybe a bit of swagga as well.

Mark Martin’s Twitter account was hacked during last weekend’s Bristol race, renamed as Epic Swag, Martin took it with a grain of salt and flipped the page on his hacker. Sporting the Epic Swag name above his driver’s door, Martin along with teammates Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. looked to have the same success as they had at Bristol.

Running in the top 15 through the race, Clint Bowyer battled with a loose racecar.

As the caution flag flew for rain, hoping it was just a brief shower, Bowyer and crew chief Brian Pattie made the decision to pit from the 14th position for four tires and fuel, but alas, Mother Nature had other plans. The race was red flagged and never restarted. Bowyer would finish the race in 13th, and now sits eighth in the points.

“I thought we had a great 5-hour ENERGY Toyota today,” said Bowyer. “We were fast in practice and qualifying and I thought we would be just as fast in the race. When we went green we were looser than expected and without any cautions we just didn’t have the chance to dial-in our Toyota. A 13th-place finish isn’t what we were aiming for but it isn’t too bad either.”

After a week off, Mark Martin was well-rested and ready to race. While Martin was sitting at home last week, Brian Vickers brought the No. 55 home to a fifth-place finish.

Heading into Fontana, Martin sported something new: not a haircut, new shoes, or even a fresh paint scheme; Martin was rollin' with scads of swagga.

“Epic Swag stole my name last Saturday so this weekend I'm stealing his," Martin said. "We'll run Epic Swag above the driver's window where my name is usually. What do they say? ‘Turnabout is fair play.''

After starting the race in third, Martin raced in the top 10 all afternoon. He and crew chief Rodney Childers worked to get the handling dialed in during the early portion of the race as Martin reported he was too loose on the bottom of the track and too tight on the top.

When the caution flag waved at Lap 125, Childers and Martin debated whether or not to pit. Four tires and no changes were the call as Martin came to pit road as the rain fell. That call took Martin from 11th at the time of caution, to a 12th place finish. Not bad, the gamble could have paid off if the race had resumed.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t get a chance to finish the race today. The Aaron’s Dream Machine was really good and we were ready to get back at it. I’m glad we got the race in for the fans but I sure wish we could have gone the distance. The guys gave me another good car. These Toyotas are fun to drive.”

Next week, Brian Vickers returns at Martinsville as Mark Martin will take his swagga to Twitter again. Follow along at @55MarkMartin.

With five races complete, Truex and the No. 56 NAPA team have shown vast improvements. Last season at this time the team had an average finish of 15.4 and in those same five races this season, an average finish of 9.4.

Continuing their early-season charge, Truex and Co. started the race in 13th position. Crew chief Chad Johnston worked to get the handling dialed in for MTJ as he said he was lacking front grip.

At Lap 115, running in 10th place, Truex was told to go, weather was coming. Less than 10 laps later the caution and eventually the red flag waved, with the No. 56 team finishing the day in 8th. Slipping back one position in the points, Truex is now in fifth.

“Overall, it’s been a decent day,” said Truex following the race. “This place was really tough on us last year. It’s nice to come in here and have a decent run -- something we can build on.”

For your enjoyment:

Everyone is a Lucky Dog with Aaron's, but apparently even Lucky doesn't want to chase after Mikey's car.

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comments
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Amanda....I think you will find, as the weeks roll by, POS-Racing/Motormouth Motorsports will have less & less...."swag"!

I think if you picked a different race team, other than POS-Racing/Motormouth Motorsports, you might get some more comments about your column. Go read some of John Daly's columns and more important, read the comments by his readers. If the article is about the Fox Broadcast, you will see the majority of his readers, which are probably a good cross-section of the average, NA$CAR-fan, are totally turned-off by POS and his brother, JAWS.

On any Fox/Speed-week-end, we are so "overdosed" by these, two, KY-"goobers", it is almost impossible to enjoy the race unless you follow on MRN or Race-View, with your TV's mute-button solidly in the "ON" position.

Keep drinking that..."Wall-Banger-Kook-Aid, as you will need a bunch of it, by the end of the season!

Please pick another team to write about.....any team, but POS-Racing/Motormouth Motorsports!